May 26, 2016
RESULTS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Lauren Kenney highlighted the first day of action at the NCAA East First-Round by punching her ticket to the 2016 NCAA Championships in the women's javelin throw Thursday afternoon at Hodges Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida.
The women's javelin throw featured four Nittany Lion athletes, the most of any school in the event, with one Nittany Lion punching her ticket to Eugene, Ore.
Anna Bailey (39.53m/129'-8"), Sarah Stanley (42.00m/137'-9"), and Stephanie Sievers (44.00m/144'-4") wrapped up competition in the event finishing 40th, 33rd, and 23rd, respectively, while Kenney qualified for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. with her seventh-place finish (49.12m/161'-2") Thursday afternoon.
Kenney, who qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third time in her career, overcame nerves and not so fond memories to punch her ticket to Eugene.
"I was a little nervous," said Kenney when asked about her first throw of the afternoon.
"Actually the last time I was here I ended up tearing a ligament in my elbow, so I just had a few emotions from that on my mind but once I got that first one out there I sort of calmed down a little bit and was able to get it together and get that last throw. I have a lot left to give, I felt a little slow, I was hitting the positions but just slowly, so once I can add some speed I just have to let it fly. We've been working all week on going under the javelin instead of tossing it out to the side so that's been helping me a lot with keeping my chest up through the throw."
"I think she competed really well," said Penn State throws coach Patrick Ebel.
"She was sitting in that 12-13 spot with one throw left, she gutted it out and did what she needed to do and finished seventh. I was real happy with how she responded, I think she's really starting to come around and peaking at the right time of the year. I just told her `hey you have to keep bringing a little more speed and hit it at the end and do what you do, trust your training. She trusted it and it ended up being the throw that got her through."
Malik Moffett (15th-place) finished the men's long jump with a mark of 7.49m (24'-7"). Moffett, who entered the meet coming off a season best performance at the Big Ten Championships where he recorded a mark of 7.60m (24'-11.25"), finished the East Preliminary with his second-best mark during the 2016 outdoor season.
In the women's long jump, Dannielle Gibson finished 16th with her mark of 6.08m (19-11.5) -- 0.02m off her season best mark of 6.10 set in Tempe, Ariz at the Pac 12/Big Ten Challenge on March 26.
2016 NCAA Indoor All-American Brannon Kidder advanced to the quarterfinals with an automatic qualifying 4th-place finish in the prelims of the men's 1,500-meters running a time of 3:43.29. Kidder was joined by teammates Robby Creese (3:47.85) and true freshman Colin Abert (3:53.56) who finished 24th and 43rd, respectively, in the event.
Isaiah Harris advanced in the men's 800-meters grabbing an auto qualifier spot by winning his heat in a time of 1:50.15. Teammate Jordan Makins recorded a time of 1:49.38 for a fifth-place finish in the following heat, taking 28 overall in prelims.
Also competing for Penn State on day one were Morgan Shigo, who took 28th-place in the men's hammer throw with his mark of 62.00m (203'-5"), and Glen Burkhardt who finished 17th in the men's 10K with a time of 30:22.71.
Penn State will return for day two of the NCAA East Preliminary as the Nittany Lions are set to compete in two events on the track (800-meters, 200-meters) as well as five field events (men's and women's discus, men's javelin, women's pole vault, and women's high jump).
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